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Aries and Musca Borealis as depicted in Urania's Mirror

Aries is one of the constellations of the zodiac, located between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. Its name is Latin for ram, and its symbol is Aries.svg, representing a ram's horns. One of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, Aries remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. A mid-sized constellation, it is ranked 39th overall with an area of 441 square degrees (1.1% of the celestial sphere). Though it specifically came to represent the ram whose fleece became the Golden Fleece in Ancient Greece, it had represented a ram since late Babylonian times. Before that, the stars of Aries formed a farmhand. Because Aries is zodiacal, its stars were incorporated into different constellations in different cultures, including twin inspectors in China and a porpoise in the Marshall Islands. Aries is a relatively dim constellation, possessing only three bright stars: Hamal (Alpha Arietis, second magnitude), Sheratan (Beta Arietis, third magnitude), and Mesartim (Gamma Arietis, fourth magnitude). The few deep-sky objects are quite faint and include several pairs of interacting galaxies. Several meteor showers radiate from Aries, including the Daytime Arietids and the Epsilon Arietids. (more...)

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Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing a blue suit and standing at a podium

Arnold Schwarzenegger's acting career began primarily with small roles in film and television. Since then, he has appeared mainly in science fiction, action, and comedy films. In addition to films and television, he has appeared in music videos for AC/DC, Bon Jovi, and Guns N' Roses. Schwarzenegger has been a primary character in two film franchises: as Conan in the Conan series and as The Terminator in the Terminator series. Other roles include Ben Richards in The Running Man, Douglas Quaid in Total Recall, Jack Slater in Last Action Hero, Major Alan "Dutch" Schaeffer in Predator, and Harry Tasker in True Lies. In Stay Hungry, one of his first roles, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture. He has also been nominated for various awards for his work in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Junior, and True Lies. (more...)

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Christmas tree worm

The Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) is a small, tube-building marine polychaete worm. Both its common and Latin names refer to the two spiral structures, the most common feature seen by divers, which resemble Christmas trees. These are specialized mouth appendages which trap prey microorganisms and also act as respiratory structures.

Photo: Nick Hobgood

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